


Two Against the World

by KinkMeme_KinkFest_Archiver



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Anal Sex, First Time, Getting Together, M/M, Uh ...ghei. Lots of it. Also porn. With vague attempts at plot here and there and trying to fill in, and glorious rape of Date Masamune's wiki page., i just wrote porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-07
Updated: 2009-06-07
Packaged: 2019-03-21 20:25:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13748619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KinkMeme_KinkFest_Archiver/pseuds/KinkMeme_KinkFest_Archiver
Summary: Special thanks toevocatesfor looking over this for me \o/





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [](https://evocates.livejournal.com/profile)[evocates](https://evocates.livejournal.com/) for looking over this for me \o/

**Title:** Two Against the World (Parts 1-9)  
**Rating:** Overall NC-17  
**Pairing:** Kojuurou/Masamune  
**Warnings:** Uh ...ghei. Lots of it. Also porn. With vague attempts at plot here and there and trying to fill in the huge history gap SB leaves us with. Mostly, I just wrote porn, though. I'm not going to lie =_=;; Oh yes, and glorious rape of Date Masamune's [wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_Masamune).  
**Notes:** Special thanks to [](https://evocates.livejournal.com/profile)[**evocates**](https://evocates.livejournal.com/) for looking over this for me \o/

[ 1 :: _these ruptured lungs won't make a sound_ ]

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Kojuurou received the summon to visit his master in his domain. Private meetings between them were rare nowadays with Terumune occupied with his land's affairs and barely even having enough time to oversee training. It was even rare that they'd find time to speak to one another outside of formal affairs, but nonetheless Kojuurou felt honored to remain in both the man's presence and his household when he could.

He had harbored every desire since youth to become one of his most loyal and strongest retainers and had been bristling with pride the day the man had finally agreed to take him on as his page. Now just having reached adulthood and taken the name the men of his family all bore, he found himself distinctly pleased with his own progress.

It did, however, bring into question what this meeting would be about. There was no reason for a promotion nor a reprimand, which meant it was a probably a special request at his lord's behest. The last time he had fulfilled an order had been to take part in a caravan as his Lord had travelled passed the borders into Echigo to re-negotiate their treating. That in itself had been a difficult affair, the lot of them all anxious and prepared for an ambush, but the ruler of Echigo had proven himself to be an earnest man who wouldn't sink to such tactics to obtain more land for himself. His honorability was definitely admirable, and a part of Kojuurou hoped he could accompany their lord on a similar task this time.

As soon as he arrived at the household, clad in the same basic attire the rest of his retainers wore, another one of Terumune's attendants met him.

"Our Lord has been waiting for you, Katakura-sama," the man told him, bowing his head before leading him towards the main meeting room of the Date household.

Terumune was already seated when Kojuurou stepped inside and bowed in greeting.

"I have come as requested, my Lord."

The man had a stern expression on his face and sat with his back straight, looking every bit displeased. For a moment, Kojuurou feared that he had arrived late but knew that was an impossibility. What else could he have done to incite his lord's anger? Had his attire not been to his lord's preference?

He almost glanced at his outfit self-consciously but stopped himself from committing the rude gesture while Terumune addressed him directly.

"Raise your head and look at me."

"Yes, my Lord," Kojuurou responded, raising his head abruptly.

Terumune's expression had not changed, the man regarding him seriously and not like the paternal figure he had once shown himself to be. Something had changed since their last meeting, making Kojuurou continuously fret about how he had displeased his lord. He'd done everything the man had told him and had made every effort to perform his duties in an exemplary fashion.

"Let me assuage you right away that this is not a reprimand," Terumune began, and Kojuurou was almost tempted to breathe out a sigh of relief. Again, he stopped himself, maintaining his composure. "In fact, it is a request. Perhaps the biggest one I will ever ask of you. Bear in mind that I considered no one else but you for this."

Kojuurou's heart was hammering in his chest the more Terumune spoke. He couldn't tell if it was excitement or anxiety at the unknown. Would he be asked to join his lord in battle again? The prospect of fighting at his side was something he continuously aimed for, wanting to do nothing more than fight in his lord's name.

"Unfortunately, by fulfilling this request, it means that from this day forward, you will no longer be under my command."

The moment he heard those words, he felt his heart sink painfully, eating its way down his chest and into his stomach. How could this be? He'd done all that he could to satisfy his lord and had helped secure a number of victories for Oushuu. Why now -all of the sudden?! Was he being sent away? He didn't want another lord!

He clamped teeth around his tongue to keep from protesting but almost showing impatience to hear what else the man had to tell him.

Terumune's face finally changed into something reflecting deep sorrow as his eyes moved from Kojuurou's gaze to sweep the floor before him. "You will, instead, be devoting all your concentrated efforts into raising my oldest son," he continued, "I worry that he may not live long with his current condition, but nonetheless, I want you to instruct him as I have instructed you these past few years."

Kojuurou's stomach continued to churn violently at those words, only vaguely recalling his lord's first born son. He'd met him a few times before, watching him from a distance as the boy never allowed others to get close to him. He was a frail, little thing, far too thin and pale for his age. Illness had rendered his body nearly useless, taking with it his right eye and leaving such a vivid deformity in its place.

That wasn't the man that was meant to rule Oushuu. That wasn't the man who would succeed the Lord that Kojuurou had already pledged his loyalty to.

"Kojuurou," Terumune said slowly, staring him in the eyes again, his face softening as he gazed down at him with renewed paternal affection, "No other page has served me as well as you have. I hope you understand the great honor I am bestowing you. I believe that you will make that boy into the strongest ruler this land has ever seen."

And there it was, the words that finally broke his resolve. Kojuurou squeezed his eyes shut and bowed, his head touching the ground as he felt overwhelmed with an emotion he couldn't describe. It was anger, sadness, pride, happiness, gratitude and so much more all at once. If this is what his lord wanted of him then he was in no place to object. He would fulfill his wishes to the best of his abilities.

"My Lord, I, Kojuurou, will be honored to do as you have asked of me."

There was a hint of a smile on Terumune's face as he nodded. "Then from this day forward, I am no longer your lord. Your new lord is Bontenmaru, the first born son of the Date household. Serve him as you have served me. Treat him with the same respect. And most of all, always remain by his side."

"Yes, my Lord."

Kojuurou meant his accession with everything his heart and soul had to offer. Even if it wasn't an ideal situation for him, he could not turn down the man that had bestowed him the honor and prestige of taking part in the Date household. Whatever he asked, Kojuurou would give him without question.

"Very well. You are dismissed. Your new lord awaits you in his room."

"Please accept my humble gratitude once again, my Lord."

[ 2 :: _feast your eyes, i'm the only one_ ]

His feet felt heavier than normal as he walked towards Bontenmaru's room, trying to hide the reluctance from his body's stance. Other attendants and retainers looked on him with pity and remorse for having inherited the cumbersome job. It was well known that the boy was a cause for shame in the household, always hidden behind closed doors and dark rooms so no one could look upon his deformities.

Another of the house's attendants opened the screen door to Bontenmaru's room as he arrived. Her eyes refused to meet his, but there was pity written in her expression. Who that pity was directed at had yet to be determined, but Kojuurou didn't dwell on it, stepping inside and letting his eyes circle the unlit room.

For a brief moment, Kojuurou suspected he was alone and the boy had gone elsewhere, but then there was a shift -the faintest rasps of clothing against wood. Kojuurou's eyes followed the noise to the corner of the room where a lump resided under a plain white sheet.

Remembering his manners, Kojuurou quickly descended to his knees and bowed cordially to the lump. "Bontenmaru-sama, please forgive the intrusion, but your father has assigned me to be in your service. From this day forward, I, Katakura Kojuurou, will serve you."

Silence continued to reign over the room, and the lump remained unresponsive until Kojuurou finally raised his head in time to catch one uncovered eye peeking at him curiously from the top of the sheet. Kojuurou attempted a placating smile, his hand reaching out to pull the sheet away, but the moment he moved to do so, the sheet went back up, covering the boy's head again.

"Bontenmaru-sama, if you would please- ...I don't mean any harm."

The boy didn't move again, and his overly timid behavior was already rapidly grating on his nerves. How was he to train and instruct him if he couldn't even get the boy to look at him?

"Bontemaru-sama," he repeated, trying to keep his voice even. Force wouldn't do in this situation as he didn't want to alienate himself further from the boy.

The eye peaked out again, wide as it regarded him carefully, then slowly the sheet started to be lowered, revealing the rest of his face. His hair had been grown out to cover the deformed eye, which he now kept hidden under tightly wound bandages. The rest of his hair was swept in a small ponytail to the back with only a few strands curling around his round and pudgy cheeks. His skin was ghostly white, almost translucent in the dark, and his hands were slender, almost feminine as they remained curled around the sheet.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Kojuurou found himself asking, thinking the sunlight would do the boy some good.

He was immediately greeted with the rapid shake of the boy's head and a look akin to terror.

"He's not to go out. _Ever_ ," a feminine voice snapped from the door.

It was laden with venom, a dagger hidden beneath the woman's tongue, and Kojuurou tensed up before glancing over his shoulder, his breath dying in his throat as he beheld the lady of the house.

She was devastatingly beautiful with skin as white as the moon's surface and eyes as blue as a pond on a clear morning. The resemblance between her and the first born was uncanny, leaving no mistake who his mother was. Unfortunately, she took no pride in sharing genes with something she obviously considered an abomination. Her severe expression spoke of hate and disgust towards the boy, who had done nothing to earn it.

"I don't know why he delegated such a responsibility to you. It's a waste. That boy will die before winter comes."

Bontenmaru flinched at the words and found himself hiding back under the sheet, his form visibly trembling, either in fear or sadness -- or both. Kojuurou remained tight-lipped, eyeing the woman silently and in no position to argue against her.

She seemed to take some sort of satisfaction with frightening the child and cast a cold smile in his direction before stepping out of the room. Once she was out of ear shot, Kojuurou let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in. The boy was still shaking, and the barest of hiccups could be heard from under the sheet.

He wished he had some words of comfort to tell him, but as she said, things did not look good for him. If he didn't become stronger then the succession was certain to fall to his younger brother. Kojuurou couldn't fail Lord Terumune like that. If his former lord told him that Bontenmaru would grow up and be a strong leader -the best that Oushuu will ever see- then Kojuurou would do everything in his power to make it happen.

"Bontenmaru-sama," he whispered, keeping his voice low so nobody but the boy would hear, "there's a path I know that cuts around the rice fields. No one would see us if we went at night."

That seemed to get a better response, the boy's head popping up as if he was a gopher in a hole. His visible eye was wide, trained on him in disbelief.

"The fresh air would do you good."

Bontenmaru seemed to consider his words before nodding slowly, the sadness lifting from his face a bit. Kojuurou couldn't help smiling down at him, thinking this was progress.

[ 3 :: _would i fall under that spell again?_ ]

Winter came too quickly and with it a sullen somberness that rang throughout the household. Bontenmaru still lived, and his face had started to obtain a bit of a healthy glow from the daily walks he'd taken with Kojuurou. He was still too timid to ever say more than a few words in a small voice that made it difficult to understand.

Some days, Kojuurou wondered how much the boy could comprehend about the world around him. His eye seemed to absorb everything with a crisp clarity, yet when asked about his thoughts on any subject matter, he had nothing to contribute. His expression would go vacant, and his lips would never move.

One night while they toured the gardens of the Date estate together, Kojuurou felt small hands suddenly tugging at his sleeve. He looked down to find Bontenmaru crouching over a set of flowers, the last that remained alive under winter's spell. His fingers eagerly cradled them, mercilessly plucking them from the ground. They were vivid red as if the leaves had been kissed by the blood of fallen warriors.

Something about them made Kojuurou uneasy, especially when resting between the fingers of the boy he'd sworn his life to. Bontenmaru held onto them the whole way back, saying nothing about what he intended to do with them. Kojuurou needlessly indulged him, still unable to fight off the uneasy feeling.

Only that very next morning he felt some sort of retaliation for his actions. The door to his room had been opened against his consent, and in walked Yoshime with the flowers crushed between a handkerchief. She dropped the remains on his lap with revulsion written on her features.

"Take him out again and consider your position here terminated, as well as your life," she threatened.

It was the only thing she said to him before marching away in a flurry of expensive silks and beautiful, ornate patterns that overstimulated the visual senses, especially at this time in the morning. Fearing for his position, Kojuurou told Bontenmaru that they could no longer go out, something which caused the boy much disappointment.

Kojuurou couldn't bear to see his downcast face as he stared at his lap, his tiny fingers scrunching the fabric of his yukata between them. "Did ...she like the flowers?"

Kojuurou still had the crushed remains in his pocket, and he fought the urge to go search for them. "Yes," he answered stiffly, inwardly wincing at the obvious lie.

But it made Bontenmaru smile, something Kojuurou had never seen before.

"I'm glad," the boy said softly then fell back into his characteristic silence, leaving Kojuurou in guilt

[ 4 :: _i need something more to keep on breathing for_ ]

The seasons continued to pass unhindered, winter changing quickly into spring and summer. The heat rolled in, unbearable and stifling, leaving Kojuurou clad almost permanently in his summer yukata. During these days, he tried to prompt Bontenmaru into practicing outside with his bokken, but the boy refused, fearing upsetting his mother by showing his eye in public.

Even with bandages wound around, he felt self-conscious and terrified to leave his room. The woman didn't make matters easier on him by scoffing at him any opportunity she had. Her attentions were also constantly cast upon Terumune's second born. In contrast to Bontenmaru, the boy was a ball of energy, already displaying cleverness and tenacity at his age.

Rumors started to spread that the clan would fall in his hands instead of Bontenmaru's, but Terumune had neither confirmed nor rejected the idea. It strengthened his resolve to make Bontenmaru someone worthy of the household's request.

However, try as he might, the boy was stubborn when it came to any of his lessons and still refused to say more than just a few words at a time. It was beginning to grate on Kojuurou's patience, who worried more about the boy's fate than the boy himself did.

One afternoon in particular when the boy refused to come out of his room, Kojuurou finally snapped at him, throwing the bokken down in front of his feet, the clatter making Bontenmaru stumble backwards and stare at him with one wide eye.

"...Ko...juurou...?"

"Do you want to succeed your father's position or not? I'm asking you this now because I refuse to waste any more time!"

It was anger that made him say those words. He hadn't quite shed all the hot-headedness from his youth. After all, he was just barely a man, only narrowly touching on twenty years.

Silence covered the room for several agonizing minutes in which Kojuurou contemplated apologizing, if only to erase that shattered look on the young lord's face. He opened his mouth to do just that, but Bontenmaru beat him to it.

"Yes," he replied, softly at first then louder. " _Yes!_ "

He shook in his spot, and tears welled up in his uncovered eye, threatening to spill down his cheek. "More than anything," he added brokenly.

Kojuurou immediately fell to his knees and bowed in front of him. "My apologies for doubting you, my Lord. I only want to see you prosper. Please don't allow your mother's words to stifle your will."

Bontenmaru nodded slowly and sniffed loudly before rubbing stubbornly at his eye, trying to erase the tears. It was the first time Kojuurou could taste the will of fire that ran beneath such a fragile exterior.

[ 5 :: _i never knew the taste of blood till now_ ]

The boy's progress was still too slow to bring anyone comfort. His sickly body couldn't keep up with the training routine Kojuurou had devised for him. It was disappointing to say, the least, and the boy was already so easily defeated by his own lack of self-confidence. Fear was always painted on his young face, clouding him from seeing his own potential.

He could be so much better than he was.

He _should_ be so much better than he was.

The only thing that stopped him in his tracks was that diseased eye. Kojuurou had seen it uncovered to know it was grotesque while it was open. The boy could no longer see out of it, leaving it to be an ornament of all he would ever fail to be.

Kojuurou grew to hate that eye just as much as Bontenmaru's mother did.

But he still held fondness for the boy it was attached to and couldn't bear to let the boy continue like this.

It was for his sake he continuously told himself as his hands carefully cleaned the knife. It was sharp and made for precision cutting, which would hopefully make the job easier than not. The thought alone still inspired a great degree of revulsion, but he had already convinced himself that there was no other choice in the matter.

He had to make the boy into a ruler.

"Will it hurt a lot?" Bontenmaru asked him that night, perhaps too quickly conceding to Kojuurou's suggestion that it be removed.

He had suspected Bontenmaru would protest and run away at the sight of the blade, but instead, the boy had surprised him with unprecedented understanding for his own situation. _He_ , most of all, probably wanted it to be taken out.

"Yes," Kojuurou admitted, refusing to sugarcoat the obvious. The boy would be in great pain, and it would take him a long time to recover. Since he'd already lost vision in that eye, wearing bandages for an extended period should be no problem. Once the eye was fully healed, they could resume their training.

No matter how simple it sounded in his head, though, it was nothing compared to the reality of holding up the blade to Bontenmaru's face and watching the boy tremble in his spot. A rag was placed in his mouth to bite down on so he wouldn't alert the household with his screams, and his fingers twisted the fabric of his own yukata, trying to fight the reflex to push the knife away.

"Please endure, Bontenmaru-sama. I will try to be quick."

Bontenmaru swallowed loudly and nodded, his knuckles going white the tighter he gripped his own yukata. The tip of the knife sunk into his skin with a sickening sound that nearly cost Kojuurou the contents of his stomach. Bontenmaru screamed around the gag in his mouth, a sound of pure agony that made Kojuurou want to stop and hold the crying boy to his chest.

He didn't.

He continued to carve the eyeball right out of the socket and ignored the boy's pain until he finished with the job.

Afterwards, Bontenmaru remained in tears, trembling and wetting himself, his skin stark pale as the blood leaked out in incessant rivulets from his now empty eye socket. It was horrifying, and Kojuurou couldn't bear to look even as he carried the boy to the baths and cleaned him off. He didn't leave his side the rest of the night, curling up by his futon and watching him, the guilt still eating away at him for having caused his lord so much pain.

_'It was for his own benefit,'_ he continued to tell himself, but the words lost their meaning every time he heard another sob come from the lump on the futon.

When he finally began to drift into an uneasy sleep, he felt cold fingers suddenly touch the palm of his hand and heard a tiny whispered thank you, which he had to convince himself wasn't just an illusion.

[ 6 :: _if you fall, would you tell anybody?_ ]

Another tutor walked out of the study room, looking deeply perturbed, the man's face white as he shook his head. Kojuurou sighed in resignation, almost afraid to ask what had happened. While Bontenmaru's studies were progressing well in all areas, there were subtle ... _problems_ here and there with his attitude.

"He said he wasn't interested and threw the book at my head," the tutor groused, his forehead bearing the telltale proof that the story wasn't fake.

While he had already come quite a ways from the timid boy he had been months ago, his progress wasn't exactly headed in the direction Kojuurou had hoped it would.

"I shall speak with him at once. Please accept my deepest apologies."

The tutor sniffed loudly at him, refusing to be placated. "His behavior better improve the next time I return."

Kojuurou nodded and bowed again before entering the study room. Bontenmaru was still seated in his spot, head resting on his palm as he stared out at the window.

"Bontenmaru-sama," he began, "I hope you understand what lengths we had to go through to obtain the best scholars for you. It would do you well to listen to th-"

"They're boring," Bontenmaru cut him off, showing no qualms about interrupting them. "What do I need to learn about poetry for? I'm not going to write any stupid poems."

Kojuurou sighed loudly, well aware the boy wouldn't be so easily convinced. "Your father wants you to become well-versed in all facets of society, including the arts."

The boy didn't respond to him, ignoring his explanation entirely in favor of staring outside. It was still early spring, the sakura trees having just bloomed, painting the grass in pale pink.

"I want to go for a walk again. Just like we used to," Bontenmaru suddenly said, changing the topic abruptly.

Kojuurou hadn't taken him out since he'd received that threat from the lady of the house. Of course, circumstances were different then. She hadn't wanted to have the shame of the Date clan publicly exposed. Now with the eye removed, Kojuurou didn't see any harm in indulging him just for a bit, especially on such a beautiful day.

"For a while. Then you must continue your studies."

The young lord smiled at him and sprang up from his seat, catching Kojuurou by the hand and squeezing. Kojuurou couldn't help but smile in return as he lead him outside. A slight breeze rustled the trees around them, loosening a few petals, which landed on their hair.

Bontenmaru laughed, a sound that had been foreign up until recently, and shook them out of his own hair before grabbing a hand full and playfully blowing them at Kojuurou's face. The older man swatted at the petals before returning the favor, laughing a bit when some got in Bontenmaru's clothes and the boy wriggled around on his feet, trying to get them out.

They spent the rest of the day outdoors, longer than Kojuurou would have liked, but he didn't regret it when he saw how spirited Bontenmaru seemed, the boy unable to sleep at all that night from the prior excitement.

The next morning, Kojuurou received a summoning from the Terumune, something which made his stomach churn in dread. He could never tell what these meetings would entail or if the man would express severe displeasure in how Kojuurou was raising his first born.

His heart pounded in his chest as he stepped inside, falling into a swift bow as he greeted the head of the Date clan.

"You wished to see me, my Lord?"

Terumune's expression was severe as always, age showing itself in the wrinkles around his mouth and eyes. He looked to be under deep stress, no doubt from the growing tension between Oushuu and its neighboring territories.

"You always come in here looking as if you'll be reprimanded," Terumune chided, his voice holding an edge of lightheartedness in spite of the hardened look on his face.

"My deepest apologies, My Lord. I do not mean to expect the worse, but I do prepare for it to some degree."

"If anything, I am pleased with what you've done for my son. He's changed... he's changed a lot since he came into your care. I've never heard the sound of his laughter until yesterday."

Kojuurou could feel his shoulders start to relax and some of the tension ease from his body. He was glad to have done well, Terumune's opinion still having a great deal of effect on him.

"Unfortunately, Yoshihime is still convinced that our second born should be named the heir."

This was what Kojuurou feared -that that dreaded woman would be able to sway things to her own side and have Kojiro appointed as the heir. He showed no reaction on his face even though his thoughts were in turmoil, disliking where this conversation was headed.

"I have not agreed, yet. There is still time for Bontenmaru to grow and learn. I want to see him become more than what he is right now."

Kojuurou wanted the same. He knew he had to push the boy harder, knew that Oushuu's future currently rested in his hands.

"He will," Kojuurou promised, raising his head to look the man in the eye. "I, Kojuurou, will help him."

[ 7 :: _split me wide open and look inside_ ]

The passage of time was never so noticeable until one traced the path all the way to the beginning. Kojuurou sometimes wondered how the young boy who once shielded himself from the world with a meager blanket could have turned into such a demon in a small amount of time. The young lord was already approaching twelve years of age and still showed a severe lack of discipline.

What was even worse was the fact that he managed to drive away more of his tutors, claiming the subjects uninteresting. For reasons unknown, he seemed only taken with his foreign tutor, always eager to hear the man speak. Sometimes he'd repeat whatever the man was saying without knowing the meaning, finding something amusing in mangling his own mother tongue with such strange inanities.

Kojuurou allowed it as the boy was finally showing promise in other areas -namely wherever fighting was concerned. He would always show up to his lessons early and eager to learn and would spend hours afterwards swinging his bokken non-stop until his arms burned and ached with the effort.

His body had also begun to fill out, taking on a more healthy shape, his skin attracting a bit of color, as well. Kojuurou hoped it was enough to please the lord of the house, for now, but he still had to combat the ill attentions cast upon Bontenmaru from his mother.

The woman had avoided him entirely and refused to acknowledge his existence even during the few instances when their paths would cross. This would leave Bontenmaru abruptly reticent afterwards and unwilling to comply with anyone.

He would always return to his normal self by morning, bringing a grin with him to practice as he carried his bokken confidently across his shoulders.

On the eve of his twelfth birthday, Terumune himself had come to see his son, presenting him with his very first blade. Bontenmaru nearly wept there, his eye wet with some unnamed emotion as he accepted the sword.

"Your glory begins here, my son," Terumune told him and patted the boy's head lightly, a proud smile on his face.

That evening Kojuurou observed quietly as Bontenmaru gave a few test swings with the sword. It was still too heavy for him to properly use without the momentum sending him stumbling forward awkwardly or making him drop the sword, but the boy was stubbornly willing to try until he could swing it in perfect harmony.

Kojuurou found himself rising to paste himself to the younger boy's back, his hands moving over his wrists to guide him. Together they maneuvered the sword, turning it from a child's play thing to a deadly weapon. Bontenmaru looked pleased afterwards and kept the sword with him in his room, only a few feet from where he slept.

[ 8 :: _yet my hands are shaking; i feel my body reeling_ ]

It was rare for Bontenmaru to be late or absent from his morning training, that thought making Kojuurou frown with worry as he hurried to the boy's room to rouse him. Had he slept in? Was he ill?

There was no one in his room when he arrived, and his futon was absent of any sheets, making matters even more disconcerting. Kojuurou hurried to begin searching all over the estate, fretting even more when none of the servants claimed to have seen him, either.

His search lead him to the bathing areas where the boy was crouched naked over a bucket, furiously drowning his sheets in the water. He seemed frantic and disheveled, something unnamed in his expression.

"Bontenmaru-sama?" he questioned, approaching the younger boy.

Bontenmaru looked like he was about to leap out of his skin at that moment, his face turning bright red as he quickly plucked the sheet from the water.

"Are you all right?" Kojuurou pressed, looking for any visible wounds or illness, but the boy was absent of any signs of either.

"It's nothing," Bontenmaru murmured, wringing the sheets out.

"That's not your task. Why didn't you leave them out for the servants to take care of? Did you spill something?"

"No! I just felt like doing it this morning," Bontenmaru said quickly. Defensively. His shoulders were tense, and he angrily threw down the sheets next to the bucket. "They can finish it if they'd like."

The strange behavior didn't ease Kojuurou's worry at all. He tried to think of something to account for it, not sure whether to continue to pry. "Very well. You were late to practice this morning."

"It won't happen again," Bontenmaru muttered, but his mood was still sour even when they finally got around to practice.

Instead of performing as well as he normally did, Bontenmaru was tripping over his feet and missing easy openings. It was after he fell down for about the third or fourth time that Kojuurou sent him away to rest, thinking the boy was merely hiding the fact that he was sick.

A similar incident occurred a week later with a red-faced Bontenmaru scrubbing stubbornly at his night yukata. Kojuurou observed him with increased worry, unsure what to make of it.

"Bontenmaru-sama, with all due respect, if there is a problem that would interfere with your instruction," he paused, trying to find a better way to express his desire to help the boy with whatever he needed, "...have I not always assisted you all these years in whatever you desired?"

The boy went tense again, squeezing the wet yukata between his fingers and looking as if he would happily like to sink into the ground at that moment.

"...is it supposed to do that?" he asked in a low voice.

Kojuurou frowned in deeper confusion, trying to figure out what the boy was talking about. "Is what supposed to do what?"

" _It_ ," Bontenmaru intoned, his eye glancing downward for a moment.

Then it hit him like the blunt edge of a sword whipping him across the face, and Kojuurou's eyes widened for a moment as if for the first time noticing that his young lord was getting along in age. Where he once barely reached just over his waist, now his head was almost to Kojuurou's shoulder, and the once pudgy cheeks that surrounded the young lord's face were now being sharpened into fine cheek bones like his mother possessed.

It still felt like just yesterday Kojuurou had the boy riding on his back after a trek through the Date family's gardens. Now Bontenmaru was standing before him red-faced and treading a very delicate subject.

"Bontenmaru-sama," he began, finding it difficult to look the boy in the eye, especially when he seemed so lost and confused. Kojuurou could remember being that age when his body was changing too quickly for his mind to process and when he couldn't explain why suddenly touching his own skin had felt so good. "We shouldn't speak of these matters outside. There are women nearby."

"But-," Bontenmaru said quickly, his fingers twisting harder at the fabric in his hands, "I don't like cleaning ...in the mornings."

Again, Kojuurou could sympathize, having done the same at his age. He only wished he had better words to explain what his body would come to crave, something that had proven to be a downfall for many men. His mind wandered back to Yoshihime and her stunning beauty. He wondered if Bontenmaru would grow up to take a wife of that sort of esteem but found it hard to imagine that the boy could be tamed by a woman. Even he himself found it difficult to tame him.

"Why don't we discuss these matters indoors?"

Bontenmaru looked like he was going to protest, but he stopped short and silently slipped on his wet yukata instead, looking sour about the whole ordeal.

[ 9 :: _you say forever can't touch you_ ]

The first time the boy saw war, he was only fourteen years of age. He rode bravely amongst Terumune's other soldiers, his back straight and his chest held high, fear absent from his face. It was the first time Kojuurou could see the leader he would become.

The armor still looked to bulky on his slim figure, but he endured it without complaint, only expressing excitement at the prospect of getting to fight. Terumune looked upon the boy as well, brimming with pride and allowed him to take the helm for the very first time.

"I will bring you a victory, father," the boy promised, and Kojuurou had no doubt the boy would keep true to his words.

He stayed by his side the entire time, his eyes never straying from the boy's back, preventing anyone from touching it. Meanwhile, Masamune tore through enemy after enemy, killing without restraint and never once stopping to reconsider his actions. He showed a different face that way, stripping away the fleshy outer parts that rooted him to the world of men and finally revealing his fangs.

The enemies feared his approach, backing away from the boy-beast as he took out their forces. He was truly a marvel to behold, unstoppable in his own battle path.

But he was not without his own vulnerabilities, and Kojuurou still remembered the way his heart had frozen in his chest as he watched the arrow that threatened to lodge itself into the boy's heart. In those precious few seconds, instinct pushed from where he stood, his feet burning as he launched himself in front of the boy and knocked the arrow away with his sword.

He could barely recall what happened afterwards, his mind a hazy blankness as he looked down at Bontenmaru's wide-eyed face. The boy had nearly been kissed in the heart by death, something that left them both in a state of shock.

"Please be more careful, my Lord!" Kojuurou admonished.

And to his surprise, Bontenmaru's face broke into a grin, "But you'll be there to protect me, won't you?"

"Of course," he replied and meant it, etching the promise into his own heart. As long as Bontenmaru remained living, he would forever be his shield.

After the battle had ended, he watched the boy walk towards the nearest source of water, his body covered in the blood of other men. He had become uncharacteristically reticent as he hunched over and cleaned himself, letting the blood wash away into the river. Kojuurou had expected him to be pleased with his own performance, having successfully held off the opposing forces, but the boy looked more contemplative than anything.

"Kojuurou," he said softly, dipping his helmet into the water's edge, "...those men. They called me a monster."

He recalled the way it was spat out, so much vehemence dripping from the one word. Bontenmaru had certainly proven himself to be a terror, something Kojuurou himself hadn't expected to see. He didn't know if the sight of the boy being so cruel and merciless without precedence was something that would bring him worry. He certainly didn't want him to grow up to be anything like the demon king from the west.

"Do you feel remorse for the lives you took today?"

Bontenmaru considered the question, his shoulders drawing closer together as he scraped the blood from helmet with his blunt fingernails. "Father once said it is the greatest honor for a man to die in battle. I think I did them well today by giving them a good fight before their death."

The words had been unexpected, the boy's thought process usually a complete mystery to himself. Kojuurou who knew him the best still felt as if he knew only what the boy displayed on the outside, the emotions and reactions he chose to show. He'd never once spoken out loud about his deeper thoughts nor had he ever confided anything so deep and meaningful as this.

Kojuurou felt honored to be the one his young lord sought counsel with and only wished it could continue. He could tell there was more there, below the surface, left unspoken because of how introverted Bontenmaru had chosen to live until now. With every new word that left his mouth, a brave young man was starting to show his face, leaving Kojuurou doubtless as to whether or not he could bring them glory.

"Your father would be proud to hear you say that."

Bontenmaru's head suddenly snapped towards him, his uncovered eye trained on his own. "And you?"

His eyes widened marginally at the sudden question, uncertain why Bontenmaru was also after his approval. "I, as well, my Lord."

That answer seemed to please the young boy whose grin returned in full force. "Then this monster will be the one to take over the world."

It was the first time he'd heard the boy's true ambition, a certain fire showing itself to him, ignited by a passion that Kojuurou only recognized when the boy had a sword in hand. He was different than his father, in that respect. Terumune had always been a cold fury that dominated from a distance, but Bontenmaru ... he was a flame that burned through everything and left nothing in its wake. He was fury and power.

He was a boy that could very well take over the world.


	2. Chapter 2

[ 10 :: _in you, i feel so dirty_ ]  
  
The afternoon sun bled through the screen doors, the heat crawling through their clothes as they danced around each other with their bokken in hand. Every time Bontenmaru advanced, Kojuurou would block and force him backwards, leaving little room for him to attack.   
  
He didn't know how long this went on, the hours dragging by until the sun started to set, painting the room in varying hues of red and orange. Bontenmaru lunged at him again, aiming for a strike down across his shoulder, but Kojuurou caught him again, the wood of their bokken clapping loudly together as he held him off.   
  
Determined not to lose, Bontenmaru pushed against him with all the momentum his body could offer, trying to get Kojuurou to break out of the stance first. They were locked together, eyeing each other viciously as they both pressed forward.   
  
"You won't win again this time," Bontenmaru swore through gritting teeth, his visible eye narrowing slightly.   
  
Kojuurou liked the promise in his look and urged him to take the victory without making it any less difficult for him. He watched the sweat trail down his face and the way his lips pulled back over his teeth like a tiger bearing its fangs. His own arms started to shake, feeling the unrelenting force start to plow through him, but his hope was quickly put out as Bontenmaru cursed colorfully under his breath and dropped out of his stance first.   
  
As a point of instruction, Kojuurou attacked him full on while he was vulnerable, aiming straight for his throat and letting his bokken kiss Bontenmaru's throat. "You would be dead by now."   
  
"Shut up! I _know_ ," the boy snapped, backing away from the bokken, limping on one leg.  
  
Noticing his awkward movements, Kojuurou quickly frowned and drew closer. "Were you injured, Bontenmaru-sama?"   
  
Had he inadvertently hit him too hard? Had he been careless? He couldn't recall aiming for his legs at any point, but there was a good chance that Bontenmaru could have sprained it with his sloppy footwork. How many times had Kojuurou told him to work on it?  
  
" _No worries_ ," Bontenmaru told him in English, waving the injury off. "I think it's just a leg cramp."   
  
He conceded defeat because of a leg cramp? Kojuurou sighed inwardly. The boy still had much to learn. Clearly, he wasn't taking their sparring as seriously as he should. He needed to imagine it was a real battle and not just the two of them practicing. It just meant Kojuurou had been going far too easy on him lately. The next time, he would show the boy no mercy.   
  
" _Shit_ , " he remarked, trying to rub along his calf before he plopped to the ground irritably.   
  
Following him to the ground, Kojuurou took the leg in his hands and inched up his hakama until it rose over Bontenmaru's knee. His fingers started to knead the muscle firmly, pressing inwards and then rubbing soothingly. He slowed down when he reached the knee, his thumbs applying gentle pressure against his knee cap and rolling it in slow, careful circles. He shifted his hands to the back of his knee, caressing the smooth skin with measured strokes until Bontemaru's body suddenly locked up, his muscles going tense and undoing Kojuurou's work.   
  
"Does it hurt?" Kojuurou asked, the frown returning his to his features.   
  
He eyed the young lord whose fists had turned to balls by his side and whose face was bent forward, hiding his expression behind his bangs. He could see that Bontenmaru was biting down hard on his bottom lip, possibly to keep from making any noise.   
  
Kojuurou's hands ran up his leg again, carefully rubbing over all the more vulnerable areas, searching for anything that could indicate a torn ligament or damage to his bones. Bontenmaru tensed even further, now sitting straight-backed and refusing to move at all.   
  
His touch climbed passed the knees to check his thigh muscles, but he was stopped, the young lord seizing him by the wrists with a tight grip, making Kojuurou thankful that the boy was still years away from having enough strength to actually hurt him.   
  
"Bontenmaru-sama?"   
  
" _Stop_ ," the boy hissed before glaring at him, something like anger and frustration written all over his expression. He was breathing harder than normal, his shoulders trembling with each in take of air.   
  
Bontenmaru still didn't let go of his hands even as the boy hurriedly drew his knees up to his chest and averted his gaze to anywhere but Kojuurou's face.   
  
"Am I disgusting?" he suddenly asked, his voice small and meek and nothing like the boy who had showed such a fierce face in battle several weeks ago.   
  
"Never, my Lord," Kojuurou admitted, wondering where that question had been born from. He thought he had eliminated the last of the boy's self-consciousness when he'd carved out his eye, but clearly, he was uneasy now. Something had caused him to question himself.   
  
"Do you like to touch me?"   
  
Kojuurou inwardly balked at the bold question, unsure how to answer. He had no qualms about touching the boy -had been doing so recently, in fact. He never once thought of Bontenmaru as an object of repulsion, especially having inherited his mother's fair face, age doing well to sharpen and refine his features into something women would find desirable.   
  
"If my Lord wishes-"   
  
"That's not what I asked!" Bontenmaru snapped before suddenly lurching forward and grabbing Kojuurou by his gi.   
  
He tugged him forward and draped long, thin arms around him in an awkward embrace. Kojuurou could do little more than raise his hands to return the embrace, still uncertain what brought this on. Bontenmaru had never shown any need for physical affection in the past nor had the boy initiated any contact such as this. It worried him even more that they would be caught in such a position by the surrounding attendants or -even worse- by his family members.   
  
"My Lord, if your father were to-"  
  
He was cut off again. "I don't care!"   
  
The arms around his shoulders tightened, and Bontenmaru all but climbed onto his lap, pressing against him in a manner that bordered on suggestive. Kojuurou's breath stopped in his throat the moment he felt something hard rub against his stomach and tried to swallow around the sudden thickness that formed there, his heart unconsciously beating quicker.   
  
_'So that's why-'_  
  
His mind couldn't wrap around the rest of that thought, never having exhibited such feelings towards the boy. Bontenmaru had always been a younger sibling to him, someone he raised and cared for deeply -had even come to revere in the same way he revered Terumune. He couldn't imagine touching him the way he had a woman's body or taking pleasure from flesh that he was supposed to respect and not dirty with his hands.   
  
Squeezing his eyes shut, he did the unthinkable and shoved the young boy away, refusing him the touch that he was not meant to grant.   
  
"My deepest apologies, Bontenmaru-sama, but it isn't my place."   
  
There was hurt in the boy's face mixed with anger and confusion, but Kojuurou could do more than observe silently as he stood up and marched away, his feet thudding loudly on the ground. He'd been expecting more of a protest but that chilled anger caught him off guard, making him wonder if he had truly made the right decision in denying the boy.   
  
A part of him assured him that the boy was too old to be indulged and coddled any further. He would have to learn responsibility soon enough and part of that included taking on a wife and providing heirs. Kojuurou had no right to interfere in his duty.   
  
Another part of him regretted having to push the boy away, well aware he was starving for affection that neither of his parents provided him. Even at this age, he still longed for a warm body and a kind touch. These things, Kojuurou wanted to give him if only to return that smile he once bore in youth to his face, but he refused to break the trust Terumune had placed on him to raise his son to be their leader.   
  
"I am truly sorry," Kojuurou whispered to the empty air, his head tilted downwards at the spot Bontenmaru had occupied recently.   
  
That night, sleep didn't come to him, his eyes riveted to the dark ceiling. The memory of his young lord's sweaty skin touching remained, his body still able to feel the phantom warmth of Bontenmaru's spindly arms around his neck and the hardness that nestled against his stomach, making him grow uncomfortable beneath his sheets. He pushed them off irritably, hoping the cool night air could soothe his skin and take away with it the thoughts that refused to leave.   
  
He could even recall the scent of earth and grass that clung permanently to the boy's skin, and the way his eye always zeroed in on him, locking him in place with its intensity. Bontenmaru was made of fire that threatened to burn him with one touch, and now the repercussions were gnawing at the edges of his stomach, making him toss and turn and run fingers through his hair. He tried to take a deep breath and clear his mind, but it did nothing to alleviate the sensation of heat creeping down his center and building between his legs where he fought not to touch.   
  
If he let his thoughts continue to drift, he would find himself wading deeper into the pressure of the boy's thighs over his own as he straddled him, and the too thin fingers that brushed down the back of his neck where his flesh was bare, only covered with a thin sheen of sweat.   
  
The imagery alone left his mouth dry, and his fingers scrabbling at the futon underneath him, feeling ever growing shame with his stiffening arousal. These were not thoughts he should harbor towards his lord, especially one who hadn't reached manhood, yet. He was still every bit a boy, in spite of the blood caked under his finger nails or the claws he kept hidden under his skin.   
  
His yukata clung uncomfortably to him as he finally turned over and grasped his penis firmly, giving himself a few quick strokes. His teeth clamped down on his tongue, silencing himself as he jerked himself roughly, wondering what would happened if he had offered to relieve the boy instead -if he had reached into his hakama and had ran his fingers along the sensitive underside of his cock. Would the boy have moaned and squirmed on his lap? Would he heave thrust forward and pressed his fingernails into Kojuurou's shoulders?   
  
He imagined the indents left on his skin and the pleasant sting of scratches running down his back. He thought of Bontenmaru's boyish face scrunched up and contorted as pleasure wracked through his body, robbing him of all senses but the hand that pumped him gently.   
  
It wasn't long before he came, his body shuddering under the weight of such thoughts, and his thighs now unpleasantly sticky. A sigh drifted out from between his lips, feeling the guilt well up inside of him yet again. He would have to set aside such thoughts before facing the boy in the morning.   
  
[ 11 :: _it's the shining of you that just breaks me in two like a lifeline_ ]  
  
Hair was tossed onto the ground, long strands of it haphazardly chopped off, and Kojuurou watched silently as Bontenmaru shook the disheveled remains on his head, still dissatisfied. He wasn't the type to express concern over his appearance but lately his behavior was starting to touch ...on the irrational.   
  
First had been the constant use of English outside of his studies, some even aimed at Kojuurou himself who had to resume his own studies himself to interpret his master's words. Then there had been the adornments he requested to be placed on his armor to make him even more obvious to spot amongst his men. Kojuurou remembered staring at the unique helmet with a raised eyebrow as he turned it over in his hands while Bontenmaru had grinned and asked him, "So what do you think?"   
  
Kojuurou never quite knew what to say in those situations, but it wasn't his place to question the young lord's choices - as long as he continued to persevere on and off the battlefield.   
  
Fortunately, he was shaping himself into a strong young man, his strength already unparalleled by anyone in the military save for Kojuurou himself. He'd even surpassed Terumune's skill, something everyone was in awe of but no one dared to mention.   
  
Bontenmaru himself had grown cocky of his own prowess and had taken to using flashy, reckless maneuvers to prove his strength, quickly earning him a notorious reputation. Their neighboring armies all referred to him as the "One-Eyed Dragon," something which Botenmaru had come to openly embrace, and he was every bit the beast they described him as, from the ferocity in his attacks to the fiery temper and the claws he carried on each hand.   
  
Only Kojuurou could stand to reason with him on occasion, but the boy was stubborn if anything and listened better to violence than verbal reprimands. It was something that was becoming an increasing cause for worry around the household, who felt the boy was too unstable to rule. However, for all his questionable behavior, the boy had already brought a number of victories home, securing more land for the Date family than any of the other generals. It was one of the few things that kept the household from reconsidering his position as the future heir.  
  
When Bontenmaru had finished with his hair, he set his sword aside and ran his fingers through the mess again, seemingly pleased this time. The ponytail he had maintained in youth had been severed completely, taking away with it some of the more effeminate attributes that had likened him to his mother.   
  
With it gone, he had a different air about him, something that added a maturity he didn't quite possess. Kojuurou found himself admiring the way his jaw stuck out, sharp and angled, still hairless. Bontenmaru had only recently shot up a few more centimeters, now at eye level with Kojuurou's nose, which made him more of an imposing figure in battle.  
  
"How does it look?" he asked Kojuurou, finger-combing his bangs over his eye patch to cover it, a habit he'd possessed since he was young.   
  
Kojuurou looked at him again - _really_ looked at him. He could see an eye that didn't merely gaze but devoured. He could see dry, chapped lips that concealed a mouth full of fangs. He could see high cheek bones, a long, thin nose, and skin that had been left unmarred from the helmet -- skin that appeared smooth to the touch and skin that he still recalled having delicately run his fingers over when Bontenmaru was just a child. What he saw in his face was a frightening mix of terror and beauty -a face that both attracted and repelled.   
  
"It is different, my Lord," he finally answered, unsure how else to tell him that he saw only carnality in his face.   
  
"Good different or bad different? I want guys to remember this face as the one that's going to crush them."   
  
"Good different," Kojuurou conceded, "You look more distinguished."   
  
"Hah! I thought so."   
  
Bontenmaru re-sheathed a sword before clapping a hand on Kojuurou's shoulder and squeezing. He leaned in unnervingly close, lips barely grazing Kojuurou's ear as he whispered in thickly accented English, "I liked that look in your eyes just now."   
  
Kojuurou didn't dare respond, his jaw tightening as he struggled to sift through his mental dictionary and piece the words together into something coherent. Once he realized what the boy had murmured, he abruptly shifted away and tried to will his pulse from beating so erratically.   
  
"I believe it is time for your supper, Bontenmaru-sama."   
  
Bontenmaru just chuckled heartily at his response, taking no offense to the clear brush off. "Lead the way then."   
  
It was going to be another sleepless night. He could already feel it at the edge of his senses and worrying at his nerve endings as he felt the weight of Bontenmaru's eye on his back.   
  
[ 12 :: _the blood in your eyes; i knew that i was going to pay the price_ ]  
  
His cheek stung painfully with every facial twitch, reminding him of the deep wound he had acquired, another product of Bontenmaru's selfish recklessness. The boy had made the mistake of taking too many enemies on his own and had foolishly ordered Kojuurou not to interfere. Wanting to respect his master's wishes, he dutifully held back until he realized that Bontenmaru would not survive.  
  
In spite of his orders, he had stepped in and now had suffered for it. His body had been littered with various wounds but nothing so severe as the stab wound on Bontenmaru's shoulder that kept the boy out of battle for days, something which he expressed great discontent over.  
  
"I don't see why I should sit around while everyone else gets to have fun," he groused and crossed his arms over his chest.   
  
Kojuurou thought he was being childish and had hoped he would out grow this kind of behavior by now, but it only seemed to be exacerbated with age. Others were less and less willing to discipline him or even try to stifle his attitude, which left him dealing with the brunt of trying to clean up his lord's mess.   
  
"Please be more prudent, Bontenmaru-sama. You are injured and had barely left the battlefield with your life in tact. You must understand that you are the life of these people. You must not allow your life to be put in such danger."   
  
He saw Bontenmaru's face draw into a tight scowl as the boy clearly disapproved of the idea. He punched the ground next to his thigh and leant forward, shooting daggers with his glare.   
  
"What do you expect me to do? Sit back and let everyone else protect me!? I don't need them or you to do it. If a ruler can't put his own life in danger for the sake of his people then what kind of ruler is he?!"   
  
Kojuurou drew in a deep breath to keep from losing his temper at the boy, but he couldn't erase the fear that this continuous hot-headed behavior would lead to his early downfall. The thought that he might not even live long enough to accede his father's place -- he couldn't bare to even think it.  
  
"What will your people do without you? Don't you understand what position you are in? I must insist that you think carefully about your actions and how they will affect those around you."  
  
He expected Bontenmaru to come up with a different retaliation, but the boy fell back into silence, seemingly considering Kojuurou's words. He hoped he had finally gotten through to him even in the slightest, but it was difficult to tell. The young lord was never one to heed the words of others.   
  
The wound on his cheek continued to sting, reminding him that he had nearly lost his own life that day, as well. It wasn't something he regretted. After all, it was his duty to protect his lord even at the expense of his own life. But for him, it had become more than duty. In that instant, his body had moved on its own accord, without depending on a single thought to animate it. Everything in him just knew he couldn't let Bontenmaru die.   
  
"I will become stronger," Bontenmaru finally spoke out loud, his eye narrowed in determination as he stared at some indistinguishable point on the wall. "I will become stronger so that my people won't ever have to fear me dying, and so that you will never have to step in and fight for me."   
  
"Bontenmaru-sama..."   
  
"Don't worry," the boy amended quickly, "that doesn't mean you still don't get to ride in by my side, but I want to be able to stand alone."   
  
Kojuurou wasn't certain how else to proceed, merely bowing his head in acquiescence. He wasn't in any position to object and if Bontenmaru-sama had promised something like that -then he knew the boy would follow through to the best of his abilities. He'd always been driven by his own ambition and would never allow anything to interfere what he wanted.   
  
"Understood."   
  
[ 13 :: _in my arms, you won't sleep safely_ ]  
  
The weather turned for the worse when mid-summer brought the rainy season, forcing them all to remain indoors. Bontenmaru was relentless when it came to keeping up his training, remaining outside and practicing his swings as the water soaked through his clothes and hair.   
  
Even when his arms shook from the exertion, he continued, swallowed up by an unbreakable determination that Kojuurou had come to admire in him. He watched the boy from the doorway, a fond smile on his face, unwilling to interrupt but well aware the young lord shouldn't remain outside at the risk of getting sick.   
  
"Bontenmaru-sama," he said once the rain started to get heavier and thunder rolled across the sky, rattling the screens around them.  
  
Bontenmaru ignored him, continuing the series of swings until he could get them perfect, which was rapidly becoming more difficult to do with the way he'd been straining his muscles.   
  
"Bontenmaru-sama," he tried again, "the rain isn't going to let up any time soon. It would be advisable that you rest for the remainder of the evening. Illness would not do you well for the upcoming battle."   
  
It always surprised him when Bontenmaru actually listened to him instead of challenging him or casting off his words as useless. Perhaps he was starting to mature after all, something which brought some small amount of relief for Kojuurou who constantly worried that the boy would never grow up.   
  
The sword was sheathed, and Bontenmaru walked towards him, his clothes completely soaked through from the rain. He dripped on the floor, leaving a trail of puddles as he bypassed his own room and headed straight for Kojuurou's instead.   
  
"My Lord," Kojuurou began, a question in his voice, unsure what Bontenmaru was looking for or why he had chosen to enter his room.   
  
He'd only wished he had prior warning, the state of his room momentarily less than exemplary. There were maps and books strewn over his table from the research he'd spent last night conducting. A cup of half-drunk tea had also remained, something which he had meant to clean up.   
  
If Bontenmaru was even bothered by it, he didn't mention it, striding in as if it were his own room and peeling off his wet gi without a second thought. The article of clothing fell down to the ground with a loud thud, leaving a bigger puddle underneath it, but Bontenmaru paid it no mind, plopping down next to it on the wet floor.  
  
"I figured if you're going to keep me locked inside, you might as well entertain me."   
  
That grin had returned, the one that was all knives instead of teeth accompanied with a mischievous look in his eye that never bode well for Kojuurou.   
  
"It is not advisable for you to be seen like this in my quarters. What would your father say?"  
  
"So? Let him see," Bontenmaru challenged, leaning back on the palms of his hands and allowing his body to air dry.   
  
Kojuurou kept his eyes tactfully averted, avoiding staring at the myriad of water drops that dotted his flesh, occasionally rolling down the firm muscles that had formed there. His body had long ago ceased to be that of a child's, all the softness drawn away, sketched over with scars and muscles that spoke of strength and will.   
  
It wasn't the first time he found himself wanting to look, having already acknowledged that his feelings for his lord often dipped into the realm of unwanted desires. Every time he dwelt on it, he felt increasing shame, knowing that he could never allow himself to indulge.  
  
Apparently taking his eyes off his lord hadn't been the right course of action because the next he knew, arms were winding their way around his waist and Bontenmaru was pressing against his back, letting his wet skin brush intimately against Kojuurou's yukata. He could feel the warmth of his body molded to him like a second skin, and his own body responded in kind, growing hard just from the embrace.   
  
"Are you going to stop me?" Bontenmaru asked, standing on his toes to draw his tongue against the back of Kojuurou's ear, a spot that threatened to make the older man's knees buckle together, "Because I'm prepared to fight, and you, best of all, know how I fight."   
  
Kojuurou still refused to indulge him, even though his body had already answered for him. Nonetheless, he willed his breathing to slow down enough to calm himself before turning around and snatching Bontenmaru's wrists. The boy predictably struggled, using the grip Kojuurou hand on him to suddenly pull him forward until they were pasted together, his body touching far too much of Bontemaru's at once.   
  
"Bon-"  
  
His protest was cut off by the boy's mouth slamming against his own, muffling any further noises. It could barely called a kiss with the messy way Bontenmaru's lips fitted against his own and how their teeth clinked noisily when he tries to kiss him harder. His mind was quickly directed from the kiss to elsewhere as Bontenmaru's hands undid the obi around his yukata with amazing speed and dove right in, feeling along his stomach muscles and brushing clumsily over his sides. It was an inexperienced touch and the touch of someone who obviously knew little to nothing of intimacy.   
  
Kojuurou could barely pry himself away, trying to catch his young lord's hands in his own again, but his back met with the wall, and Bontenmaru followed, pressing against him again. He could feel the boy was aroused through the wet hakama he still had, something that he attempted desperately to ignore.   
  
" _Bontenmaru-sama_ ," he said more firmly, though his voice had a slight tremor to it, betraying his own desire.  
  
He didn't want to stop. He wanted to take his smaller body and toss it onto the futon. He wanted to pry apart his legs, wanted to run his hands between his thighs, wanted to be over him and crushing him with his weight -- inside of him and breaking him apart.   
  
He'd imagined it before -what his lord would look like coming undone, seams ripped down from the center. It made him toss and turn restlessly, fingers always searching for purchase at night. Not even a woman's body could quiet that sort of simmering hunger that lived low in the pit of his stomach and only burned straight through him whenever Bontenmaru's eye fell on his just as it did now.  
  
It was not a boy staring at him. Not even something he could call a man, even though it was starting to take the shape of one. He could barely even consider it human as it advanced on him, digging claws into his hair and kissing him dryly, refusing to relent.   
  
His tongue crawled into his mouth, and that was just as messy as everything else. He felt the thick, hot weight of it rubbing against his own, felt Bontenmaru's cock, pushing and grinding into his thigh much lower. Then something in him decided to snap under the weight of an emotion he could no longer fend off. It surpassed the respect and admiration that he harbored for the boy and went deeper into that which he couldn't name but knew existed.   
  
Kojuurou's hands moved first, planting themselves over Bontenmaru's shoulder blades to bring him closer where he could eat through him from his mouth. He told himself to take all he could now -that opportunities such as these were few and sparing.   
  
Who knew if tomorrow things would change or stay the same? Who knew what the morning sun would bring with it?   
  
He didn't want to wait, basking in the now and following every urge that came to his mind, from the way his hands suddenly jerked lower to press his fingernails into Bontenmaru's lower back to the way his mouth now trailed down the young lord's neck, licking up the residual rain drops there and biting too harshly into his naked skin.  
  
He heard Bontenmaru gasp and felt the boy suddenly grab onto the folds of his yukata, twisting it feebly between his fingers. He followed this with a broken whisper of Kojuurou's name, drawn out like it was his dying breath, and Kojuurou knew he'd never be able to hold back against that voice.   
  
They slid to the floor with Kojuurou plucking at Bontenmaru's hakama, and the boy circling his arms around his neck to pull Kojuurou closer to his chest. He went uncharacteristically quiet as Kojuurou drew the hakama down his thighs and felt along the newly exposed skin, fingers sliding along his hips before tugging him closer. His mouth traced a path down his sternum and paused to feel the way Bontenmaru's heartbeat pounded frantically beneath his flesh as if it would explode any second. When he glanced up, he wasn't sure what kind of look he would find his young lord's face and had been unprepared for that wide-eyed, curious stare reminding him of the very time Bontenmaru had ever cast his eye upon him. It was hard to swallow his guilt and continue, watching his face carefully as his hand moved towards his rigid cock and just grasped it with his palm, warming the underside with his skin.   
  
" _Shit_ ," Bontenmaru suddenly hissed, lurching forward to bury his face in Kojuurou's shoulder as a shudder wracked through him, hard enough that Kojuurou felt it against his own body.   
  
It took him a few seconds to realize what had happened and by then, his floor and his arm were covered in come. This seemed to embarrass the young lord, who pushed away from him abruptly, the tips of his ears slightly red and his face contorted in avid disgust.   
  
"Don't-," he warned Kojuurou as if he'd already expected that Kojuurou would try to placate him somehow.   
  
Truth be told, he wanted to, but he kept silent, watching as Bontenmaru rapidly dragged his wet clothes onto his body. " _Don't_ ," he said again before making his escape, his footfalls heavy against the wood floors.  
  
Kojuurou still hadn't moved, his gaze dropping from his still open door to his hand, which felt sticky. The storm still raged on outside, making the screen doors vibrate, and his own arousal throbbed painfully under his yukata from neglect.  
  
It would be a long night.  
  
[ 14 :: _flow sweetly, hang heavy, you suddenly complete me_ ]   
  
On his young lord's eighteenth birthday, Kojuurou found himself busier than usual, overseeing the last arrangements for the festivities that would mark the boy's official passage into manhood. Not only would he inherit his father's lands, he would also be granted a new name and identity.   
  
He would no longer be the heir but the ruler of his household.   
  
It was a day Kojuurou had been preparing for for nearly decade. He'd been right by Bontenmaru's side through it all, from the first time he'd held a sword in his hand to his first kill. He'd dried the boy's tears and cleaned the sweat and blood from his body. He even served as his right eye in order to compensate for his one vulnerability.   
  
Now that Bontenmaru was set to take over everything, Kojuurou would continue to remain loyally by his side, devoted to him until death should come and take away. Hopefully it would not be anytime before Bontenmaru would be ready to hand over the rule to his own son, but the life a retainer was seldom long and prosperous. If it came down to it, he would let his life end prematurely to save that of his lord's.  
  
When he finally met up with Bontenmaru, the boy was already clothed in all is armor and looking more regal than he ever had. There was a new confidence to his stride, a certain pride that could not be shattered. On his face, he had his usual cool and cocky half-smile, but Kojuurou could tell his lord was genuinely excited. He'd barely slept the night before, keeping Kojuurou up with his animated speech as he described what campaigns he would lead and who he would trample over for the sake of his ambition. He was relentless.   
  
A force that could never be stopped.   
  
They waited until early in the afternoon for the formalities to take place, all of the Date clan's retainers gathered around as Terumune officially handed over everything to his son. With it, Bontenmaru had been renamed Masamune, a name that spoke of power and austerity.   
  
It hadn't escaped Kojuurou's notice that Masamune's mother had been absent from the affair, though Kojiro remained. If the boy was sour about the ordeal, he showed nothing on his face, his expression void of any emotion. Whatever doubts there had been amongst the men concerning Masamune's inheritance, they had already been put to rest long ago.  
  
There was no question that Masamune was meant to rule.   
  
They'd all rode with him to battle, had witnessed first-hand what sort of strength the dragon possessed. He'd become a symbol to them, someone they all depended and relied to him -- someone they would all gladly die for.   
  
Kojiro simply lacked that sort of charisma. The boy was skilled but nowhere near Masamune's level.   
  
Afterwards, they all raucously drank together under the canopy of falling petals. Masamune himself had sipped idly at his sake, watching his men with a certain fondness that would go unrecognized to someone who hadn't spend half his lifetime watching over him.   
  
Kojuurou took his place by him, remaining silent for the time being. He still kept an eye on Masamune, gratified by how far they had come along together. There were times where he started to fear his lord had drifted too far from the recognizable, that frightened boy abandoned in the past, but every once in a while he could see something in his eye that still wanted to reach out to him.   
  
Masamune finally broke the silence, stealing a quick sip before meeting his gaze. "This changes everything, but at the same time, nothing's changed. I may be in charge now, but I've never planned on riding in the back. A ruler leads from the front so everyone else can see him and follow, _you see_. Heh, I guess it can't be helped. I'm the kind of selfish guy that doesn't like others getting all the fun."   
  
There it was. That latent wisdom and insight that the young man kept buried under so many layers and pretenses. Alcohol usually did well to open up his mind. He was transparent this way, easier to be understand.  
  
"Of course, my Lord. And I, Kojuurou, will ride by your side."   
  
For a second, Kojuurou thought he might have said something out of line because Masamune had frozen completely with the sake cup close to his mouth.   
  
"You still haven't called me by my name."  
  
Kojuurou hadn't quite been able to bring himself to. As much as he acknowledged that the boy had grown into the man before him, he didn't want to forget his former name. He'd been Bontenmaru to him since they'd met. It was a name that sounded so natural on the tip of his tongue that anything else just didn't fit.  
  
"Say my name, Kojuurou," Masamune ordered, his face hardening slightly.   
  
Kojuurou couldn't deny a direct request like that. "... _Masamune-sama_."   
  
Pleased with his acquiescence, his lord grinned. "I like the way you say my name."  
  
Uncertain if his lord meant that in a flirtatious or earnest way, Kojuurou chose not to respond, instead filling both their cups to the brim and sharing another drink together as men.   
  
[ 15 :: _to tread this fantasy so openly; what have i done?_ ]  
  
The alcohol sloshed around the bottom of his stomach, making it difficult to concentrate on anything but the mouth that bit and sucked on the flesh of his neck as he stumbled towards the futon. His palms hit the wooden floor, and he felt Masamune's hair tickling his wrist as he covered his body, already rocking over him feverishly.  
  
It was easier to want this when his inhibitions and propriety were all removed. Though he rarely allowed himself to indulge in so much sake, the celebration had called for it and so had Masamune, who bade for drink after drink without relent.   
  
The result left both of them in this state, wrestling their yukatas off each other's bodies as they touched everywhere hands could reach. He felt Masamune's fingers pulling on his hair then his nails pressing between his shoulder blades, dragging more fabric down just to feel him. It was a touch that spoke of unbearable hunger -of something that had yet to be satisfied and that wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than what it truly wanted.   
  
Kojuurou wanted to warn Masamune what parting his legs like that would entail -wanted to tell him that he could hurt him, destroy him completely if he continued to silently ask for it with his body. The urge was there, so present that Kojuurou couldn't resist gripping him by the thighs and hoisting him higher just to rub his erection closer to where he wanted to shove right in.   
  
His inebriated mind continued to wage an uphill battle with his body that licked at Masamune's tongue and bit at his lips until they were swollen. Meanwhile, Masamune squirmed in his arms and arched his back as if trying to draw him inside.  
  
"Masamune-sama," Kojuurou rasped, pulling away from his lips to stare down at the younger man's face, mesmerized by the way his pupil had eaten into the blue of his eyes and the way his mouth shook as he panted for air.   
  
"Don't stop," Masamune hissed and drew his legs around Kojuurou's waist, squeezing around him tightly and rubbing himself far too suggestively against Kojuurou's cock.   
  
"It will hurt," Kojuurou protested nonetheless, though his body displayed none of the hesitation he felt, grinding back helplessly against him in return. He felt nothing but heat crawling up his stomach, a fire that burned at the top layers of his skin and bade him to let it swallow him whole. He wanted it so badly, the ache of his arousal already twisting all his nerve endings into unbearable little knots that would come undone at the slightest touch.   
  
Masamune caught his eye and gripped Kojuurou by the back of his neck pulling him too close -close enough to snarl against his mouth, "I'm a man now, so go on and fuck me like one."   
  
Kojuurou wished he had any words to respond to that, wished that his body hadn't just shuddered and gave in. Instead, he pried himself away from his lord's body and looked everywhere in his room for something to ease the pain. All he could think of was the same healing salve he used to dress his wounds, the contents bearing a slight tingling sensation. It would have to do for now, coating his fingers in the salve and using it to ease his way inside.   
  
Thankfully the alcohol had done wonders to keep Masamune at ease, the young man doing little more than flinching when he finally entered him. His breathing had stopped for a moment but slowly resumed the more Kojuurou took his time pushing inside until he was all the way in.   
  
The sensation, while not entirely foreign to him, was rendered surreal by the thought that this was Masamune and no one else. This was Masamune he could feel clamping around him and everywhere at once. This was Masamune's body desperate to breathe, Masamune's body twisting and contorting around him.   
  
He wanted to apologize, wanted to feel guilt for having tarnished him like this, but he felt neither of those at the moment as he thrust into him the next second hard and desperate to bury himself deeper where no one else had touched -- where he himself had longed to be for years. His fingers held onto his thighs as he just poured himself into his body, every new thrust a silent admission of what he felt for his lord. It far surpassed anything he had felt for Terumune; even surpassed any desire he held for a woman.   
  
The futon dragged noisily across the floor as he continued to breach his body, perhaps too roughly and too recklessly. The young lord welcomed it with nails that raked down his back and a voice that whispered crude obscenities into his ear. There was nothing that could make him stop, finding it especially impossible when Masamune's words were finally shattered by a groan, and the young lord rolled his hips upwards to draw him in as deep as he could go.   
  
Kojuurou fell apart then, feeling orgasm seize his body too suddenly, wringing him out tightly until there was nothing left inside of him. Afterward, he held himself up on unsteady arms, trying hard not to just flop on his lord's body and crush him, especially when the younger man was still obviously aroused, his hardened cock brushing lightly at Kojuurou's abdominal muscles.   
  
Again, if he had any greater sense of awareness, he would have felt guilt for not having taken care of his lord before himself. As it was, he selfishly basked in his own relief and only lazily slid his fingers around Masamune's erection, teasing him with light touches that made him curse louder and grip Kojuurou's biceps hard enough to bruise.  
  
" _Kojuurou_ ," he intoned and placed one of his hands over Kojuurou's as if to will him to go faster and to stop playing with him. Pre-come was already sliding down the tip and spilling over their tightly clasped fingers as Kojuurou jerked him harder.  
  
It only took a few more haphazard strokes to finally pull him apart, and he watched every second of it, Masamune's normally calm expression cracked and scrunched up -looking on the verge of agony. His body lurched up as if he'd just been burned, tensing in an awkward position as he came, his lips parted as if he could scream but no sound came out.   
  
He sank onto the futon shortly after, still breathing wildly as his hair clung to his face. Kojuurou still couldn't take his eyes off of him, brushing the hair away and trying to etch this image into his mind. It was so rare to see that vulnerability, to scrape off the scales of the dragon and see the real skin that lay beneath.   
  
It was frightening even to remember that he was a man and not a beast and that he could break just as easily as everyone else.   
  
Sleep came to him quickly that night, his inebriation helping to keep the uneasy thoughts at bay. With nothing to dwell on but the warm weight next to him and the solid back he'd curled himself up against, he was able to drift off without a single thought in his mind.   
  
[ 16 :: _i must have lost my way since i took a turn a while ago_ ]  
  
It was a bitter harsh winter that bit at their skin as they marched back, all heads down and tear-stained cheeks. For once, Masamune strayed to the back, his helmet tipped forward to hide the look in his eyes. He appeared statuesque, poised on his horse and unmoving.   
  
Only Kojuurou remained close by, his own head cast downwards as silence reigned over them. It was a victory for Oushuu but also a defeat. They had subdued their enemies but not without paying the highest cost, and now the men carried away a tightly swathed body for burial.   
  
Naturally, Masamune took it the hardest but refused to shed a single tear in front of his men. His voice hadn't even wavered when he had ordered his men to shoot, despite knowing his father would not survive.  
  
Terumune had long since been a great symbol to these men and had done well for their land and its people. He was beloved and revered by so many that the loss had been a deep and painful stab wound to their collective chests. It was difficult to cope with his sudden departure, but his life had also been one full of glory. He had died bravely and as every lord wished to die -for the sake of a better future for his people.   
  
They buried him that evening under the tearful eyes of every single retainer in the land. Masamune still remained silent but had paid his respects, removing his helmet and offering a few words to his father.  
  
"Your death won't be in vain." A swallow, thick and loud.   
  
Kojuurou's heart ached for his young lord, a pain so intense that his chest felt like it was being crushed under some heavy weight.   
  
"I will unify this land for you. For _us_. Under the name of Oushuu and the Date clan."   
  
A few lights sobs could be heard, but the silence over the land was palpable. Even Masamune's mother had put in a rare appearance at the funeral, but her face was as blank as ever. There was neither rancor nor pain. She merely watched the proceedings without a word, and afterwards, she disappeared to somewhere unknown, only accompanied by her servants.   
  
Kojiro also spoke a few words, but there was anger laced behind them -an unspoken accusation that this was all Masamune's fault; that under his rule, their father would have never been kidnapped and forced to endure such a painful death. If Masamune had been annoyed or angered by him, his expression didn't show it, still burdened by his own solemnity.  
  
That night, it snowed until every inch of land had been covered in white, leaving nothing to be seen. Everyone remained indoors and away from the cold, quietly mourning the death of the former lord. Masamune had refused to eat or leave his room at all and had even dismissed all of his servants, warning them not to approach him.   
  
Kojuurou worried about him endlessly and hoped Masamune could recover from this. Oushuu's army needed him now more than ever to pick all the pieces of their broken spirits back up and glue them together again. If he let this break him, as well, then his father's death really would have been in vain.  
  
"Masamune-sama?" Kojuurou whispered through the door much later when evening was approaching midnight. For a moment, he feared having woken up his lord even though there was a dim fire light burning from within his room, but the sound of rustling cloth alerted him otherwise.   
  
The sliding door was pushed opened, and Masamune stood before him, obviously disheveled. His hair fell in a disarray around his pale face, and the bottom of his left eye looked dark and bruised from lack of rest. Frankly, he looked like hell, but Kojuurou would never speak such a thing out loud, though the sight of him increased his worry.   
  
"Though you requested to remain in solitude for the rest of the evening, I, Kojuurou, wanted to ensure that my Lord-"  
  
" _What_?" Masamune snapped, cutting him off. "Ensure what? That I wouldn't take this lying down? That my will wouldn't burn out just like that?"   
  
He summoned a grin which was clearly forced. "Don't you remember who you're talking to? Date Masamune does not lose."   
  
Kojuurou nodded slowly to his words but was not convinced by Masamune's show of bravery. He'd seen the boy at his most vulnerable -being turned away by his mother, covered in the blood from his own recently plucked eyeball , and even below him on the verge of orgasm. There was nothing Masamune could hide from him, nothing that can cover the flesh that made him mortal and very human, in spite of his proclaims otherwise.   
  
"Regardless, Masamune-sama is not someone impenetrable."  
  
"What are you saying? That I need someone to comfort me!?" His anger was audible in the steady rise of his voice, and Masamune's glare burned through him in clear contempt of the accusation that he was anything less than the image he had cultivated for himself.  
  
Kojuurou could already see it eroding before him, the foundation of those walls shaken until they started crumbling to the ground. The younger man shook with so many unnamed emotions until his fingers suddenly reached out to ball fists into Kojuurou's yukata, urging him closer.   
  
"Do you think I'd give up everything he- ...I ... _we_ worked hard to create?!" he nearly shouted, giving Kojuurou a hard shake. "Do you think I'd-"   
  
He couldn't finish the statement, his voice swelling inside of him as he dug his fingernails into Kojuurou's biceps and hid his face in his neck. Kojuurou felt the tips of his eye lashes brushing against his skin followed by something warm and wet. There were no words of comfort to be said, so he remained silent, well aware Masamune only needed a body to lean on for just a bit and nothing else.   
  
That night, he allowed himself to sleep next to the young lord, remaining there until morning touched their faces. Only during those hours between waking and sleep could Kojuurou find the boy in Masamune's smooth, sleeping expression again, someone that still required touch to remind him that he wasn't alone.   
  
_'I, Kojuurou, am your right eye, and I will always be by your side.'_  
  
[ 17 :: _but now is not the time to cry; now's the time to find out why_ ]   
  
Weeks after Terumune's passing, they all rode out together for their battle. The men were still shaken and still lacking that ferocity that made them one of the most feared armies in the land. Even if their bodies had been clothed in armor and their swords were gripped tightly in their hands, their spirits were still absent.   
  
Masamune saw it without Kojuurou even having to point out and stopped mid-ride to force his men to get off their horses and crowd around him. It was then that he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at all of them.   
  
"Come at me!" he ordered, "I want you all to come at me with the intent to kill! If you even go easy on me for just a second, I'll take your life without regret!"   
  
"B-but, Captain!!" one of them protested before the lot of them erupted into doubt and fear. _What if they killed him, too? Who would lead Oushuu?! They needed him!_  
  
Only Kojuurou remained calm and collected, placing his full trust that Masamune knew what he was doing.   
  
"Shut up!" Masamune yelled to silence them before charging at them without warning, his own body language radiating with intent to kill.   
  
The men scattered like flies, each trying to defend themselves from their mentally unbalanced lord. Masamune struck them down one by one, leaving them alive but in pain. Afterwards, he dug his sword into the ground and crossed his arms over his chest.   
  
"That right there is why you have no reason to fear, _you see_. If you think Oushuu will ever lose another ruler, then stop those thoughts right now. Any guy who doesn't fight at 100% can go home now. My army has no place for losers."  
  
The men slowly lifted their heads from the ground to stare at their ruler with something akin to both fear, awe, and disbelief. They'd known he was strong, but to have even a fraction of his power trained on them -- it's just what they needed to reignite their fighting spirit. The lost of their former leader had been devastating, but in his place came hope and possibility.   
  
Masamune was everything Oushuu needed. Most of all, he was someone they could all believe in again.  
  
Picking their swords up again, the soldiers that could move all approached him and began yelling, "I'm with you, Captain!!! I'm with you a 100%!!!"   
  
They stayed like that until every single last man had joined in, weapons raised in the air and their voices going raw with their cries. And throughout it all, Kojuurou merely watched with pride in his heart and the final confirmation he needed that Masamune was finally ready to fully take his father's place.   
  
[ 18 :: _you will consume me, but i can't walk away_ ]  
  
The bark ate through the fabric of Kojuurou's jacket, roughly scraping against him until he was sure blood now stained through, but he didn't stop. His hands dragged down Masamune's sweat-soaked back, holding him against him as the younger man slammed down roughly against his cock.   
  
He felt nails like pin pricks on his shoulders and heard the way Masamune's breath shuddered as if he would die any second. There were foot steps nearby in the distance, somewhere about 20 or 30 meters away, but Kojuurou didn't bother warning Masamune who'd already heard them too and took this as a sign to move faster.  
  
He kept on over-exerting himself, his face dyed red, and his hair clinging to his skin as he arched his back and thrust himself down on Kojuurou again. He was being rough on himself, merciless on his own body as if he wanted this so badly -as if he couldn't wait or even imagine taking it slow, already so close to falling apart right there.  
  
"Ko ...juurou," he choked out, hips rolling in a forward motion, and Kojuurou could feel every little shudder that racked his body  
  
His own wasn't in a better state as he met Masamune's thrust by lifting his own hips as much as his lord's weight could allow him to. He was very much the drowning man, swimming frantically to the surface for just a bit of air, his fingers breaking skin on Masamune's hips as he pushed in harder, _deeper_ -any way that let him all the closer to being devoured by that raw and unrestrained desire he saw flashing at him vividly from Masamune's stare.   
  
When they both finally came, they were clinging hard to each other, all teeth biting into skin and muffled screams to keep from alerting anyone in the nearby camp. Masamune slumped over heavily first, feeling like deadweight for a few seconds before Kojuurou gave him a hard shake.   
  
"We have to-," he breathed out, his mind struggling to focus as he came down from his orgasm, "-get back."   
  
Masamune nodded mutely in agreement but made no move to get up yet. Kojuurou gave him another hard shake when it seemed like the foot steps were treading closer, and he watched as his young lord finally sprung into action, tugging his pants on in record time.   
  
There was a cocky grin on his face, something that didn't betray what he'd just done and where he had just done it and _who_ he'd just done it with. Kojuurou found it hard to stifle his own responding one, especially when their scouts finally came in view.   
  
"Katakura-sama! Captain! Are you all right?! We heard noises and thought you were being ambushed!!"   
  
Masamune laughed breathily, the husky quality of it making the hair on Katakura's arms stand on end. "Like I'd let that happen. I was just showing Kojuurou some of my new moves, right Kojuurou?"   
  
"Yes, Masamune-sama. As always, your efforts surpass expectation."   
  
Masamune's grin widened as he fixed his swords around his waist. "Of course."   
  
Together they walked side by side back to camp, their shoulders brushing lightly. There was reassurance in that one touch -a multitude of unspoken promises to one another. Together, they could do the impossible.   
  
Together, they could bring the world to its knees.   
  
"What should be our next destination, Kojuurou?" Masamune suddenly asked him.   
  
"I believe Echigo's borders are just up ahead, my Lord. I know a path we could use to cut down on traveling time that would have us there by early morning if we ride out now. That is," Kojuurou paused to eye him warily, "if you are up to it."   
  
"Up to it? Hah! I'm already there." Masamune cocked his head towards his scouts, hunger already making an unmistakable presence on his face. "What do you say, guys?! Are you up to it?"   
  
They all exchanged mutual grins before pumping their fists in the air and whistling in approval. "Yes, Captain !!!"  
  
"Then _let's go_!!!"


End file.
